The "Infamous" Orlando Screwjob in TNA

[CM Steel]

Everybody but everybody knows that the infamous Montreal screwjob in the WWF at the time was not a work or kayface. It was as REAL as it had gotta at that time in wrestling before the incident in WCW between Hulk Hogan and Vince Russo at the "Bash at the Beach" pay per view. The tension between Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon finally spilled over in one night. That year of 1997, the Montreal screwjob on Bret Hart left a deep impact in all wrestling...Even in TNA/Impact Wrestling.

Not too long after Hulk Hogan signed to TNA wrestling in 2010, TNA decided to re-due the Montreal screwjob in "their" own way. Most TNA wrestler's weren't even wrestling at the time of the Montreal screwjob. But anyways!

In a match between Kurt Angle vs A.J. Styles, Angle played the Bret-role while Styles played the Michaels-role with Hulk Hogan playing Vince McMahon. Styles goes for Angle's ankle-lock finisher...the bell rings? WTF?? Hulk Hogan appears by the ring. Kurt Angle (Hart) curse's out Hogan (V. McMahon) before threating to leave back to the real Vince McMahon that is the WWE (Bret writing "WCW" in the air), before spitting in Hogan's face! And then Kurt Angle goes ballistic on TNA's TV equipment and announce booth before leaving in rage...

TNA/Impact Wrestling has done silly things before, but that had to take the cake! The Montreal screwjob was real, the Orlando screwjob was scirpted. Now in your own opinion, what could have TNA have done differently with that whole thing and what is your opinion after watching go down like that on Spike TV?

 

[TellMeWhy]

Well you remember all the details and you're still talking about something that happened two years ago, so it must've been effective somehow for every detail to be in your mind right? With that said, I wouldn't have changed anything because people like you are still talking about it so it obviously made a lasting impression either way you look at it.

 

[neildittmar]

I think it's valid to discuss this, as there were so many parallels between what happened in the WWF in 1997 and TNA's reimagining of the same 13 years later.

In short, the "Orlando Screw Job" as it has been named amounts to nothing more than what every other wrestling promoter has tried to do at one time or another. That is, TNA was attempting to catch lightning in a bottle one more time and get the fans talking. They followed the Jim Cornette "7 year rule" like all good promoters do, recreated something that undoubtedly worked (whether by accident or on purpose) and tried to benefit from that.

Problem was, it didn't really work... at least not to the same effect the original Montreal Screw Job did. All the players were there, as the OP illustrated. The scene was very much the same and there were some definite parallels between how AJ/Angle felt about each other and how Hart/Michaels did. The angle had potential, whether it was a total work or not.

I think it ultimately failed, or didn't generate the reaction expected at least, because there wasn't much of a surprise factor. Yes, folks didn't think the match was going to go down that way, but it didn't provide the same level of shock and awe that Hart/Michaels did in 1997. There were real emotions in 1997. In 2012 in Orlando? Not so much. Also, unlike the Montreal Screw Job, the follow-up/aftermath didn't solidify the events into the wrestling audiences psyche. That is, everybody remembers Vinces "Bret Screwed Bret" interview just as much as the incident itself. TNA didn't have anything as impactful as that to further establish or solidify the angle.

For the angle to play out more successfully, Hogan had to really cut Angle down afterwards, much like Vince did to Bret. Essentially paint the picture that AJ represented the life-blood of TNA and was a superstar on the rise, while Angle had already had his day in the sun and was approaching the end of his career. Elaborate that he had gone to Angle personally and told him to "do the right thing for the business, brother" When Angle refused, Hogan did what he had to do. The filming style TNA used for "Reaction" would've fit in perfectly here.

And that kind of sums things up... TNA often gets many of the "pieces" right when it comes to big angles and storylines. Where they drop the ball more times than not is in putting those pieces together to come up with something compelling and/or profound that leaves a lasting impression in the audiences minds. The "Orlando Screw Job" was no exception.

 

[AndarielHalo]

The only thing infamous about TNA is that they're still around today.


But seriously, I have no idea what you're talking about. And I've watched iMPACT every week from 2009 to 2011.


^ That statement pretty much displays the total lack of any depth, meaning, or significance of this "Orlando screwjob" event. After the Survivor Series 97, the event had huge repercussions, WWF and people were talking about it for weeks afterwards, it gets brought up CONSTANTLY for YEARS afterwards, people STILL remember "RING THE FUCKING BELL" and "Bret Hart screwed Bret Hart" and Earl Hebner and Shawn Michaels running off before the crowd could think to try to kill him.


When has this "Orlando screwjob" ever been brought up ever again by TNA outside of the how ever many weeks it was used for whatever the storyline was?

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

The 'Orlando Screwjob' is a great snap shot of one of TNA's biggest hurdles, and what has held them back creatively for much of their existence..their tendency to try to re-create WWE angles that were big hits at one time or another.

The Montreal Screwjob has been recreated by almost ever promotion out there, in one way or another, because of the impact it had on the business at the time. What was missing from TNA's attempt, was the personalities involved. There was a legitimate dislike between HBK and Bret Hart, and it translated on the microphone and in the ring. With Styles and Angle it felt forced..there wasn't enough history between the two, or enough personal animosity for it to have the impact that TNA desired.

I don't fault TNA for trying to do their own screw job...it's pretty much a storyline staple for any wrestling promotion. It's been done in WWE, TNA, ROH...the list goes on and on.

 

[mrkingofworld]

Everybody forgot about the TNA Screwjob. The fact that you remember every little detail just goes to show you what a profound "impact" it had on your life.

-Labore is a toolbag.

 

[cult_of_icecream_bar]

Hell WWE does that a lot too.2009 breaking point,the glorified midcarder(i didnt name him) beat taker in such a match thanks to teddy long.They did 1 year after the original one.They tried it in MiTB last year.Even last smackdown,such happened.So don't rip the already ripped company for this angle.

 

[crippler]

One of the reasons The Montreal Screw job is so well remembered that no matter what happened Bret was going to the rival company WCW and would be the last match Bret would have in WWE as a active wrestler. However honestly I have no idea who was involved in the TNA Screw job and the effect of it was not as big cuz nobody left TNA for WWE from it.

 

[#heel420]

I remember watching it thinking WOW. They are not even a little bit original. Did they even go anywhere with that whole screw job angle in TNA? I don't remember any of the follow up of it. What they could of done(should have done) was to not even do it.

 

[yur_momma]

Well you remember all the details and you're still talking about something that happened two years ago, so it must've been effective somehow for every detail to be in your mind right? With that said, I wouldn't have changed anything because people like you are still talking about it so it obviously made a lasting impression either way you look at it.

wow. how clueless are you? that orlando thing wouldnt be remembered AT ALL if it wasnt ripped off from another major event in wrestling and has the name "screwjob" tied to it. its not still talked about because it was effective or memorable in a good way. memorable doesnt always mean good but you could spin it that way and i wont bother telling you youre wrong.
would will farrell's bush impersonation be funny if there was never a bush? of course not. but it is funny because it was a copy and tied to something we all know and remember. (plus, unlike tna, it was entertaining).
ffs, i cant believe i just had to reply to someone who said the tna screwjob was effective! haha!

 

[gasM]

Ugh , the Screwjob has been done to death. It's even an option of SmackDown vs Raw 2011 on Story Designer - with an ankle lock. So maybe WWE ripped off TNA haha.
(That's a joke by the way. I know the Montreal Screwjob came first.)

 

[justtxyank]

The reason Montreal "worked" is because it wasn't a "work."

It wasn't "as real as it got before..." it was real. It would not have made an impact on anything if Bret was staying with the WWF and was just working a storyline. It was specifically that he and his boys left the WWF in a huff that made it work.

 

[Headman]

I didn't watch it, but it sounds right in line with everything else I've seen from TNA. There is nothing original about the company. The one thing that made them stand out early on was the X-Division and that's devolved into a midcard cruiser weight title. Copying the Montreal Screw Job is nothing new, but in this day in age it goes beyond parody into the realm of being just plain pointless. Of course TNA is good at doing things to make themselves appear corny and clueless.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

"The Orlando Screwjob" was a forgettable storyline. Nothing more than a blip on the radar. TNA tried to pull off a shocking storyline, but this particular moment won't have a great impact on the history of pro wrestling. Bret Hart was the World Champion and a major star in a major wrestling promotion. He was the victim of a legitimate double cross from Vince McMahon, and joined the rival company afterwards. For years Shawn Micahels endured legitimate hatred from fans, and Vince continued to gain momentum as a heel after the "Bret screwed Bret interview." The aftermath of Survivor Series '97 drastically changed the careers of everyone involved, but the same thing can't be said about TNA's version of the screwjob. It was a forgettable storyline, that didn't do anything for the participants involved.

Nothing needs to change, because TNA intentionally tried to copy the events of the Bret/Shawn match. The same referee, Hogan playing McMahon's role, AJ fleeing the ring with the belt, and Kurt gave his best Bret Hart impersonation. TNA wanted to recreate the most controversial incident in pro wrestling history, so there's no need to change anything.

 

[Defekt]

As others have said, the WWE has repeated the Montreal Screwjob scenario several times over the years. WCW even tried a variation of it at Starrcade 1997 (and ended up screwing it up like everything else).

It's a tired, overdone storyline TNA shouldn't have bothered with, but they aren't the only ones to have tried it.

 

[Iversen]

Montreal was real. That's the truth of the matter, as childish as things got afterwards and as overblown as it is it was a real event with Vince legit screwing Bret and Bret having no idea about it. Everything that has been done since which copied it wasn't. It was decided in the back beforehand with both competitors aware of it. WWE and TNA have done it numerous times and while it does get heat on people it is never going to have the same effect.

What could they have done differently? Nothing really. I can't remember it but if it went down the way you described it old fans wouldn't be interested because it's such an obvious rip off of an event they do remember and kids wouldn't care about it because quite frankly I doubt any of them had the attachment to Styles or Angle that they did with Bret and Shawn. It's also on a much smaller scale.